By Matthew Cimitile, University Communications and Marketing
As USF St. Petersburg student Teresa Booker was taking her normal walk to class on Tuesday morning, she heard someone shout for help, asking if anyone knew CPR.
A 67-year-old man visiting The Campus Grind was having a cardiac emergency. Slumped over, then on his back outside the campus coffee shop, he was starting to turn blue.
The 12-year Air Force veteran and dental assistant who taught a First Aid/CPR course quickly jumped into action.
“I’ve always wondered how I would respond if I ever needed to use my training in a real-life scenario,” she said. “This calmness came over me and I didn’t feel scared or nervous. The training just kicked in.”
Arriving on the scene, Booker assessed the situation and immediately administered CPR to the man for several minutes. This provided campus emergency responders with valuable time.
Within the vicinity was USF St. Petersburg Emergency Manager Kevin Sullivan. Upon hearing the shouts and observing that someone was conducting CPR, Sullivan called the University Police Department (UPD) while sprinting to the 2nd floor of Davis Hall to get the nearest Automated External Defibrillator or AED. The device is placed on someone’s chest and delivers a shock to the heart to stop deadly heart rhythms called arrythmias.
An Automated External Defibrillator or AED used during the emergency response.
Receiving the call and racing to the scene were Sergeant Jeffrey Banks, a former emergency medical technician, and Officer Joseph Gonska, who also had an AED. Arriving simultaneously with Sullivan, Banks first felt for a pulse and then cut open the man’s shirt, placed the AED pads on his chest and delivered a shock.
There was no pulse and no response. After administering another round of CPR, he delivered a second shock and additional CPR that revived the man.
“Within four minutes of falling down, campus first responders had an AED on him and conducted a charge to reset his heart rate. Before the ambulance arrived, the man was already awake. That quick response is incredible,” said David Hendry, regional chief of police at USF St. Petersburg.
Shortly after the man became conscious, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue and an ambulance arrived to take him to a nearby hospital. He is currently in stable condition.
For Booker, a Health Sciences major in the USF College of Public Health, the moment was surreal. She is currently on a break from the military to earn her degree and spend more time with her dad, a survivor of two recent heart attacks.
“I took this break from the military to support him,” said Booker, who plans to return to the Air Force upon graduating this summer. “That could have been my dad. I’m just very grateful that I was able to use my training and things turned out fine.”
As she left the scene, heart finally racing, Booker realized she was late to class.
When explaining to her professor why, her professor responded, “That’s as good a reason as any to be late.”